(1) Sat Jul 17 2004 17:29pLAydate:
This morning early I drove to Los Angeles. None of the friends from here who wanted to come with ended up being able to, so I went alone. The occasion was going fabric shopping and to lunch in Chinatown with women from the Mollie list. I picked up Paula in Burbank about 9:30 and we made it down that rampy part of the Pasadena Freeway in record time. I wonder what CalTrans has done to improve that stretch? I couldn't tell that anything had changed, except it was so much better.

Off to Michael Levine, my idea of heaven on earth. Sue and Mary from Orange County met us there--it was soo good to see them. I was very strict with myself and did not allow myself to buy anything that wasn't for Christmas-- so I can't say what I did get, can I, because little pitchers have big weblog-reading eyeballs.

We went across the street to the home dec department, but I didn't see anything that really stirred my mush for redoing the kitchen. They did have some fabulous raffia fabric that I thought would do beautifully for the green chairs that are losing their caning so when one sits, one's bottom falls through. However, for $40 a yard, we can keep sitting with our bottoms falling through.

Light traffic in downtown today. We resisted with great difficulty the street vendors with the kosher dogs and grilled onions and drove up Broadway to Chinatown. We ate at a dim sum place. I got a bit concerned as we entered the restaurant because the posted grade from the County Health Department was only a "B". I spoke sternly with self:

Self: Yeech, I'm gonna get food poisoning!

Me: Where is the adventurous girl who would even eat shrimp from a street vendor in Hermosillo? Let's live a little, girlfriend!

The dim sums (is that how you spell the plural?)were absolutely delicious and we got completely full. I've never really had dim sum except for wonton, pork buns, and potstickers, but Sue and Paula knew what was what. Yummers. Sue bought a half dozen cha su bao to take home. Most of the people eating there were ethnic Chinese. A highlight of the restroom in this place was a poster of Lady Liberty against a flag backdrop that said, "United We Stand." I thought that was a wonderful thing to have hanging in a Chinese restaurant, and I am so grateful that I live in America where people can mix and meld and share cultures.

We poked in a few little shops after lunch. I was hoping to find another bag of turtles like the ones I got for Atticus so I can give them to Joel, but no luck. I did find a metal praying mantis (or is is preying mantis?) which looks very real. I love it, and it was only $2.99.
When we were ready to go, Sue's car was not, as it wouldn't start. Poor Sue had to call the AAA, and Paula and I caught a bus back to where my car was parked. I had had this idea to take Paula on a drive through Angelino Heights to see the restored Victorian houses, but Me was nagging in the back of my mind about the Health Department grade on the restaurant, while Self was concentrating on keeping a stomach full of shrimp balls down. So, we hit the freeway and I dropped Paula off by where she had parked (she left her Chinatown purchases in my car!). After that, I made it clear to Castaic before Me and Self colluded that it was time to lose lunch.

I didn't think I would get that far actually, especially approaching the Antelope Valley Freeway, because there was a big forest fire. Fire trucks. Cops. Rangers. Fire crews. Helicopters. They had the 14 freeway closed, and everyone who had wanted to go there had to get off at Lyons Avenue, so there went that pit stop. Once past that, the freeway cleared, and smooth sailing to Bako.

One little funny thing happened when I was gassing up at the Shell station at the Bear Mountain Boulevard exit. A man leaving the mini mart honked his horn at me. I think it was Roger. Gosh, I sure hope I looked happy, well-off, and successful!